Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-08-11
MY QUEER LEGACY.
How Became Known as Brown
the Philanthropist."

lam very sharp-sighted man.
am also diffident. My diffidence has
stood in my way throughout my life,
it is so horribly apparent; and it is
probably through my unfortunate
-diffidence that have so few friends. l
hardly know soul at my club outside
the card room, where it used to be my
custom to play four rubbers of whist
every afternoon. The card-room ut
the Rice and Curry Club. when was
useless member of society, was nv
idea of perfect bliss; there were no
-draughts there, no noises. no disturb
ing influences. Last year some of the
Radical reformers-for we have Radi-
cal reformers even at the Rice and
Curry-succeeded in introducing a
ridiculous innovation. In the memory
Of the oldest member. no female form,
during club hours at least, was ever
known to desecrate that great mon
s,stery of Oriental dervishes, the Rice
and Curry. But they made an abs urd
addition to the rules last year.
Ladies are allowed to partake of re-
freshments in the strangers dining
room at the Rice and Curry. if accom-
panied by a member. during certain
hours of the afternoon. The strangers
-dining-room ie a gruesome apartment.
and don't think the ladies have much
TO be thankful for. With this new
tangled exception. 1 am happy to say
that the Rice and Curry is still free
from any disturbing influence.
am by no means u brilliant whist
player. Iobject to the Peter" and
look upon it as form of swindling: it
may be prejudice. it probably is.
You will agree that am not brill
liant whist player when say that my
losses at the game. though l never
bet, certainly used to cost me goo a
year. That was very serious matter
to me then, for it was before l came
into my fortune, before became a
busy man and philanthropist
1t is of the strange manner Of my
coming into the fortune, and of my
becoming a philan;hropist. that 1 am
about to tell. Philanthropy. like dram
drinking. is an affectation that grows
on one; /, whose San,muDa bonum was
quiet rubber. am now rabid phil
anthropist. This is how it came about:
Though 1 am a very difiident man.
Campbell was certainly more retiring.
Campbell was = China merchant
do not mean that he sold crockery, but
he had been head of a great mercantile
firm in China, and in China he had
made his money. / had never spoken
to Campbell in my life; he was q sad
looking man. very taciturn, but he
used 10 smoke uncommonly good ci-
gars. He used to sit on one side of the
fireplace, on the other, and there We
sat and smoked far into the night
After several years we used to nod to
each other. but we never spoke; that
would have been quite contrary to the
etiquette at the Rice and Curry. Wigs
by-a most objectionable person. who
looks upon himself as the club wit and
keeps little manuscript book of jokes.
in which he notes any thing amusing
that he may pick up. and probably
afterwards passes it off as his own
said that Campbell and l resembled the
two statues at the gate of Bedlam-
Melancholy and Raving Madness OF
course he meant to hurt my feelings,
but he failed; for took the Melancho-
ly to myself, in which there is nothing
degrading, and put the Raving Mad
ness down to Campbell. Possibly Camp
bell did as did.
As have said, I am very sharp
sighted. I sat staring at Campbell as
be smoked in silence. had been in